Ahsoka and Vader's epic showdown is even more profound in Japanese, as NorskAkiruno explains.

A translation can make – or break – a work of fiction but as long-time Japan resident and amateur Japanologist Dave Hackerson discovered, sometimes it can improve upon an already emotive scene.

Dave, who goes by the username @NorskAkiruno on Twitter, has long been interested in the ways that Japanese philosophy can be applied to the Star Wars universe and how that universe has itself been influenced by Japanese aesthetics, samurai films, and centuries-old Buddhist tenets. And when he watched the momentous showdown between Darth Vader and Ahsoka Tano in the season two finale of Star Wars Rebels, he noted that the Japanese subtitles added an extra layer of depth to their exchange.

For example, he points out that the Japanese translation of “I am no Jedi” is not a simple one-for-one translation; the sentence used by the translator (ジェダイの道は捨てた) translates back into English as “I no longer walk the Jedi path”, placing greater emphasis on Ahsoka’s personal journey and her decision to leave the Jedi Order behind her.

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Kelly M is a Gibraltarian 'Star Wars' fan living the geek life in the Netherlands. Translator and editor by day, blogger and unabashed Ahsoka Tano fangirl by night, you can find her on Twitter under the name @teamahsoka.

I’m so glad people have enjoyed this take on one of my favorite (and IMO one of the best) scenes in all Star Wars. Greatly appreciate the recommendation for my blog as well. I currently mulling another article that will attempt to draw parallels between Star Wars and an event in Japanese history.

If you do, let me know! And thanks again for sharing your insight. I only ever hear horror stories about translations gone wrong but rarely hear about cases where the translated version actually ADDS extra depth to a scene.

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